1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to rapid drying lacquers that are particularly useful for automotive refinish and for automotive OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The typical finish on an automobile or truck body comprises an electrodeposited primer layer, an optional primer or primer surfacer layer over the electrodeposited layer and then a pigmented base coat layer and over the pigmented base coat layer, a clear coat layer is applied. A pigmented mono-coat may be used in place of the base coat/clear coat. A number of clear and pigmented lacquers have been utilized as automotive OEM and automotive refinish coatings, such as, primers, basecoats and clear coats but none meet the rapid drying times that are desired in combination with outstanding physical properties, such as, chip and humidity resistance and adhesion.
In refinishing automobiles and trucks, the damaged painted areas having dents, mars and scratches and the like are sanded or ground out by mechanical means in and around the damaged area. Sometimes the original coating is stripped off from a portion or off the entire auto or truck body to expose the substrate (e.g., bare metal) underneath. After repairing the damage, the repaired surface is coated and applied layers are dried and cured.
A key concern to a refinish customer is that the coating in use has excellent physical properties, such as chip and humidity resistance, and adhesion.
Another key concern of the automobile and truck refinish industry is productivity, i.e., the ability to complete an entire refinish operation in the least amount of time. To accomplish a high level of productivity, any coatings applied need to have the ability to dry at ambient or elevated temperature conditions in a relatively short period of time. The term “dry” means that the resulting finish is physically dry to the touch in a relatively short period of time to minimize dirt pick-up, and, in the case of the basecoat, to allow for the application of the subsequent clear coat.
Current commercially available lacquers do not have these unique characteristics of rapidly drying under ambient temperature conditions along with the ability to form a finish having improved chip and humidity resistance and adhesion. It would be advantageous to have a lacquer with this unique combination of properties.